Mumbai`s South Cyber Police Station officials on Wednesday said that they have arrested a 28-year-old man allegedly involved in trafficking Indian job seekers to Southeast Asia and forcing them into cyber slavery.

The accused, identified as Salman Munir Sheikh, was nabbed from Nayanagar in Mira Road on Wednesday, following a months-long manhunt.

Police said that Sheikh allegedly lured young Indians with promises of lucrative overseas jobs, only to hand them over to Chinese syndicates running fraudulent call centres in Laos.

According to officials, the case began in August 2024 when a resident of Antop Hill approached the police. While searching for a data entry job on LinkedIn, the complainant came into contact with Sheikh, who offered him a job in Thailand with a promised salary of Rs 70,000 per month. Trusting the offer, the complainant and his friend each paid Rs 30,000 for visas and tickets.

On February 9, 2024, Sheikh accompanied them to Bangkok, along with three other recruits. From there, with the help of a Chinese woman, he transported all five jobseekers across the border into Laos, where he handed them over to a Chinese handler. Their passports were seized, and they were forced to carry out online scams and extortion activities via WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

“They were held captive and told to pay 20,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately Rs 2.3 lakh) as ransom for their release. When one of them was unable to arrange the money, Sheikh allegedly trafficked two more Indians in exchange for freeing him,” said a senior police official.

The victim eventually returned to India and filed a complaint. Based on confidential inputs, police traced Sheikh to Mira Road, where he was arrested.

The investigators said that Sheikh had also changed his passport address, an attempt suspected to evade arrest.

Police advisory

The police have urged citizens to exercise extreme caution when considering overseas job offers, particularly in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.

They warned against trusting social media advertisements and strongly advised verifying the authenticity of recruitment agents.

“Jobseekers should be especially cautious if they are issued only tourist visas or visas on arrival, as these are often used in cyber slavery scams,” an official said.

Victims or their families are advised to immediately approach the nearest police station or the Indian Embassy. Cases of cyber fraud or trafficking can also be reported via the cybercrime helpline 1930.

Source